Iron status at 9 months of infants with low iron stores at birth

Abstract Objective: To determine the 9-month follow-up iron status of infants born with abnormally low serum ferritin concentrations. Study design: Ten infants of >34 weeks' gestation with cord serum ferritin concentrations 80 μg/L had follow-up serum ferritin concentrations measured at 9 ± 1 month of age. The mean follow-up ferritins, incidences of iron deficiency and iron-deficiency anemia, and growth rates from 0 to 12 months were compared between the two groups. Results: At follow-up, the low birth ferritin group had a lower mean ferritin than the control group (30 ± 17 vs 57 ± 33 μg/L; P =.03), but no infant in either group had iron deficiency (serum ferritin r = −0.52; P =.05). Both groups were predominantly breast-fed without iron supplementation before 6 months. Conclusions: Infants born with serum ferritin concentrations